scholarly journals Genetic dissection of neural circuits underlying sexually dimorphic social behaviours

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1688) ◽  
pp. 20150109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel W. Bayless ◽  
Nirao M. Shah
Keyword(s):  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Laboratory Mouse ◽  
Neural Circuitry ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Genetic Dissection ◽  
Technical Innovations ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Social Behaviours

The unique hormonal, genetic and epigenetic environments of males and females during development and adulthood shape the neural circuitry of the brain. These differences in neural circuitry result in sex-typical displays of social behaviours such as mating and aggression. Like other neural circuits, those underlying sex-typical social behaviours weave through complex brain regions that control a variety of diverse behaviours. For this reason, the functional dissection of neural circuits underlying sex-typical social behaviours has proved to be difficult. However, molecularly discrete neuronal subpopulations can be identified in the heterogeneous brain regions that control sex-typical social behaviours. In addition, the actions of oestrogens and androgens produce sex differences in gene expression within these brain regions, thereby highlighting the neuronal subpopulations most likely to control sexually dimorphic social behaviours. These conditions permit the implementation of innovative genetic approaches that, in mammals, are most highly advanced in the laboratory mouse. Such approaches have greatly advanced our understanding of the functional significance of sexually dimorphic neural circuits in the brain. In this review, we discuss the neural circuitry of sex-typical social behaviours in mice while highlighting the genetic technical innovations that have advanced the field.

scholarly journals Sex in the brain: hormones and sex differences

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-383 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sex Hormones ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Motor Coordination ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
New Era ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Opioid Sensitivity ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Brain

Contrary to popular belief, sex hormones act throughout the entire brain of both males and females via both genomic and nongenomic receptors. Many neural and behavioral functions are affected by estrogens, including mood, cognitive function, blood pressure regulation, motor coordination, pain, and opioid sensitivity. Subtle sex differences exist for many of these functions that are developmentally programmed by hormones and by not yet precisely defined genetic factors, including the mitochondrial genome. These sex differences, and responses to sex hormones in brain regions and upon functions not previously regarded as subject to such differences, indicate that we are entering a new era in our ability to understand and appreciate the diversity of gender-related behaviors and brain functions.

scholarly journals Local Cerebral Glucose Utilization in Normal Female Rats: Variations during the Estrous Cycle and Comparison with Males

1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrid Nehlig ◽  
Linda J. Porrino ◽  
Alison M. Crane ◽  
Louis Sokoloff
Keyword(s):  
Estrous Cycle ◽  
Glucose Utilization ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Normal Male ◽  
Normal Female ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Brain

The quantitative 2-[14C]deoxyglucose autoradiographic method was used to study the fluctuations of energy metabolism in discrete brain regions of female rats during the estrous cycle. A consistent though statistically nonsignificant cyclic variation in average glucose utilization of the brain as a whole was observed. Highest levels of glucose utilization occurred during proestrus and metestrus, whereas lower rates were found during estrus and diestrus. Statistically significant fluctuations were found specifically in the hypothalamus and in some limbic structures. Rates of glucose utilization in the female rat brain were compared with rates in normal male rats. Statistically significant differences between males and females at any stage of the estrous cycle were confined mainly to hypothalamic areas known to be involved in the control of sexual behavior. Glucose utilization in males and females was not significantly different in most other cerebral structures.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of Obesity and Binge Eating Associated Impairment of the Cognitive Inhibition System

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elodie Saruco ◽  
Burkhard Pleger
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Binge Eating ◽  
Binge Eating Disorder ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cognitive Inhibition ◽  
Significant Impairment ◽  
Disinhibited Eating ◽  
The Brain

Altered functioning of the inhibition system and the resulting higher impulsivity are known to play a major role in overeating. Considering the great impact of disinhibited eating behavior on obesity onset and maintenance, this systematic review of the literature aims at identifying to what extent the brain inhibitory networks are impaired in individuals with obesity. It also aims at examining whether the presence of binge eating disorder leads to similar although steeper neural deterioration. We identified 12 studies that specifically assessed impulsivity during neuroimaging. We found a significant alteration of neural circuits primarily involving the frontal and limbic regions. Functional activity results show BMI-dependent hypoactivity of frontal regions during cognitive inhibition and either increased or decreased patterns of activity in several other brain regions, according to their respective role in inhibition processes. The presence of binge eating disorder results in further aggravation of those neural alterations. Connectivity results mainly report strengthened connectivity patterns across frontal, parietal, and limbic networks. Neuroimaging studies suggest significant impairment of various neural circuits involved in inhibition processes in individuals with obesity. The elaboration of accurate therapeutic neurocognitive interventions, however, requires further investigations, for a deeper identification and understanding of obesity-related alterations of the inhibition brain system.

scholarly journals Sex beyond the genitalia: The human brain mosaic

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (50) ◽  
pp. 15468-15473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daphna Joel ◽  
Zohar Berman ◽  
Ido Tavor ◽  
Nadav Wexler ◽  
Olga Gaber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Human Biology ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Female Brain ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Human Brains ◽  
Sample Age ◽  
The Brain

Whereas a categorical difference in the genitals has always been acknowledged, the question of how far these categories extend into human biology is still not resolved. Documented sex/gender differences in the brain are often taken as support of a sexually dimorphic view of human brains (“female brain” or “male brain”). However, such a distinction would be possible only if sex/gender differences in brain features were highly dimorphic (i.e., little overlap between the forms of these features in males and females) and internally consistent (i.e., a brain has only “male” or only “female” features). Here, analysis of MRIs of more than 1,400 human brains from four datasets reveals extensive overlap between the distributions of females and males for all gray matter, white matter, and connections assessed. Moreover, analyses of internal consistency reveal that brains with features that are consistently at one end of the “maleness-femaleness” continuum are rare. Rather, most brains are comprised of unique “mosaics” of features, some more common in females compared with males, some more common in males compared with females, and some common in both females and males. Our findings are robust across sample, age, type of MRI, and method of analysis. These findings are corroborated by a similar analysis of personality traits, attitudes, interests, and behaviors of more than 5,500 individuals, which reveals that internal consistency is extremely rare. Our study demonstrates that, although there are sex/gender differences in the brain, human brains do not belong to one of two distinct categories: male brain/female brain.

scholarly journals Acoustically Targeted Chemogenetics for Noninvasive Control of Neural Circuits

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerzy O. Szablowski ◽  
Brian Lue ◽  
Audrey Lee-Gosselin ◽  
Dina Malounda ◽  
Mikhail G. Shapiro
Keyword(s):  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Spatial Targeting ◽  
Temporal Specificity ◽  
Cell Type Specific ◽  
Orally Bioavailable ◽  
G Protein Coupled ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Spatial Cell

ABSTRACTNeurological and psychiatric diseases often involve the dysfunction of specific neural circuits in particular regions of the brain. Existing treatments, including drugs and implantable brain stimulators, aim to modulate the activity of these circuits, but are typically not cell type-specific, lack spatial targeting or require invasive procedures. Here, we introduce an approach to modulating neural circuits noninvasively with spatial, cell-type and temporal specificity. This approach, called acoustically targeted chemogenetics, or ATAC, uses transient ultrasonic opening of the blood brain barrier to transduce neurons at specific locations in the brain with virally-encoded engineered G-protein-coupled receptors, which subsequently respond to systemically administered bio-inert compounds to activate or inhibit the activity of these neurons. We demonstrate this concept in mice by using ATAC to noninvasively modify and subsequently activate or inhibit excitatory neurons within the hippocampus, showing that this enables pharmacological control of memory formation. This technology allows a brief, noninvasive procedure to make one or more specific brain regions capable of being selectively modulated using orally bioavailable compounds, thereby overcoming some of the key limitations of conventional brain therapies.

Learning, Neurogenesis, and Effects of Flavonoids on Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asan Yalmaz Hasan Almulla ◽  
Rasim Mogulkoc ◽  
Abdulkerim Kasim Baltaci ◽  
Dervis Dasdelen
Keyword(s):  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Mature Neurons ◽  
Dependent Learning ◽  
The Brain

: Learning and memory are two of our mind's most magical abilities. Different brain regions have roles in processing and storing different types of memories. The hippocampus is the part of the brain responsible for receiving information and storing it in the neocortex. One of the most impressive characteristics of the hippocampus is its capacity for neurogenesis, which is a process in which new neurons are produced and then transformed into mature neurons and finally integrated into neural circuits. The neurogenesis process in the hippocampus, an example of neuroplasticity in the adult brain, is believed to aid hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. New neurons are constantly produced in the hippocampus and integrated into the pre-existing neuronal network; this allows old memories already stored in the neocortex to be removed from the hippocampus and replaced with new ones. Factors affecting neurogenesis in the hippocampus may also affect hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. The flavonoids can particularly exert powerful actions in mammalian cognition and improve hippocampal-dependent learning and memory by positively affecting hippocampal neurogenesis.

scholarly journals Wiring diagram of the oxytocin system in the mouse brain

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seoyoung Son ◽  
Steffy B. Manjila ◽  
Kyra T. Newmaster ◽  
Yuan-ting Wu ◽  
Daniel J. Vanselow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Wiring Diagram ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Quantitative Correlation ◽  
Anatomical Arrangement ◽  
The Brain

AbstractIn the brain, oxytocin (OT) neurons make direct connections with discreet regions to regulate social behavior and diverse physiological responses. Obtaining an integrated neuroanatomical understanding of pleiotropic OT functions requires comprehensive wiring diagram of OT neurons. Here, we have created a whole-brain map of distribution and anatomical connections of hypothalamic OT neurons, and their relationship with OT receptor (OTR) expression. We used our brain-wide quantitative mapping at cellular resolution combined with a 2D flatmap to provide an intuitive understanding of the spatial arrangements of OT neurons. Then, we utilized knock-in Ot-Cre mice injected with Cre dependent retrograde monosynaptic rabies viruses and anterograde adeno associated virus to interrogate input-output patterns. We find that brain regions with cognitive functions such as the thalamus are reciprocally connected, while areas associated with physiological functions such as the hindbrain receive unidirectional outputs. Lastly, comparison between OT output and OTR expression showed no significant quantitative correlation, suggesting that OT transmission mostly occurs through indirect pathways. In summary, our OT wiring diagram provides structural and quantitative insights of distinct behavioral functions of OT neurons in the brain.Significance StatementOxytocin (OT) neurons in the brain play an important role in socio-physiological responses. Impairment of OT signaling has been implicated in many neurodevelopmental disorders. To understand diverse OT functions in the context of discreet neural circuits, it is imperative to understand the anatomical arrangement of OT neurons across the whole brain in significant detail. Here, we have established a comprehensive brain-wide wiring diagram of OT neurons. Our anatomical and connectivity map of OT neurons includes brain-wide cell distribution, synaptic inputs, axonal outputs, and their relationships with the oxytocin receptor expression. This whole brain structural perspective of the OT system provides a foundation for understanding the diversity of neural circuits modulated by OT and will guide future circuit-based OT functional studies.

scholarly journals Sex Steroids and the Shaping of the Peripubertal Brain: The Sexual-Dimorphic Set-Up of Adult Neurogenesis

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 7984
Author(s):  
Sara Trova ◽  
Serena Bovetti ◽  
Sara Bonzano ◽  
Silvia De Marchis ◽  
Paolo Peretto
Keyword(s):  
Adult Neurogenesis ◽  
Sex Steroids ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Sex Steroid ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Steroid Dependent ◽  
Set Up

Steroid hormones represent an amazing class of molecules that play pleiotropic roles in vertebrates. In mammals, during postnatal development, sex steroids significantly influence the organization of sexually dimorphic neural circuits underlying behaviors critical for survival, such as the reproductive one. During the last decades, multiple studies have shown that many cortical and subcortical brain regions undergo sex steroid-dependent structural organization around puberty, a critical stage of life characterized by high sensitivity to external stimuli and a profound structural and functional remodeling of the organism. Here, we first give an overview of current data on how sex steroids shape the peripubertal brain by regulating neuroplasticity mechanisms. Then, we focus on adult neurogenesis, a striking form of persistent structural plasticity involved in the control of social behaviors and regulated by a fine-tuned integration of external and internal cues. We discuss recent data supporting that the sex steroid-dependent peripubertal organization of neural circuits involves a sexually dimorphic set-up of adult neurogenesis that in turn could be relevant for sex-specific reproductive behaviors.

scholarly journals A meta-analysis of brain DNA methylation across sex, age and Alzheimer’s disease points for accelerated epigenetic aging in neurodegeneration

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Pellegrini ◽  
C Pirazzini ◽  
C Sala ◽  
L Sambati ◽  
I Yusipov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Epigenetic Aging ◽  
High Concordance ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
The Brain

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by specific alterations of brain DNA methylation (DNAm) patterns. Age and sex, two major risk factors for AD, are also known to largely affect the epigenetic profiles in the brain, but their contribution to AD-associated DNAm changes has been poorly investigated. In this study we considered publicly available DNAm datasets of 4 brain regions (temporal, frontal, entorhinal cortex and cerebellum) from healthy adult subjects and AD patients, and performed a meta-analysis to identify sex-, age- and AD-associated epigenetic profiles. We showed that DNAm differences between males and females tend to be shared between the 4 brain regions, while aging differently affects cortical regions compared to cerebellum. We found that the proportion of sex-dependent probes whose methylation changes also during aging is higher than expected, but that differences between males and females tend to be maintained, with only few probes showing sex-by-age interaction. We did not find significant overlaps between AD- and sex-associated probes, nor disease-by-sex interaction effects. On the contrary, we found that AD-related epigenetic modifications are significantly enriched in probes whose DNAm changes with age and that there is a high concordance between the direction of changes (hyper or hypo-methylation) in aging and AD, supporting accelerated epigenetic aging in the disease.In conclusion, we demonstrated that age-associated, but not sex-associated DNAm concurs to the epigenetic deregulation observed in AD, providing new insight on how advanced age enables neurodegeneration.

scholarly journals Multistability and metastability: understanding dynamic coordination in the brain

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1591) ◽  
pp. 906-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Scott Kelso
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Neural Circuitry ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Coordination Dynamics ◽  
Dynamic Coordination ◽  
Action And Perception ◽  
Intentional Change ◽  
Complex Goal ◽  
The Brain

Multistable coordination dynamics exists at many levels, from multifunctional neural circuits in vertebrates and invertebrates to large-scale neural circuitry in humans. Moreover, multistability spans (at least) the domains of action and perception, and has been found to place constraints upon, even dictating the nature of, intentional change and the skill-learning process. This paper reviews some of the key evidence for multistability in the aforementioned areas, and illustrates how it has been measured, modelled and theoretically understood. It then suggests how multistability—when combined with essential aspects of coordination dynamics such as instability, transitions and (especially) metastability—provides a platform for understanding coupling and the creative dynamics of complex goal-directed systems, including the brain and the brain–behaviour relation.

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